


Dadfoot & Moomum

by josiemoone



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Angst and Humor, Dadfoot, Fluff and Humor, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Harry Potter was Raised by Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, Humor, M/M, Pumpkins, Remus Lupin Lives, Sirius Black Never Went to Azkaban, Trick or Treating, Wolfstar Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2019-01-09 12:04:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12276123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/josiemoone/pseuds/josiemoone
Summary: A four year old Harry Potter, in the care of his guardians Sirius and Remus, experiences a series of Halloween activities to distract the adults from their grief.





	Dadfoot & Moomum

**Author's Note:**

> All canon character, plots, and situations from the Harry Potter series belong to JK Rowling. I am not profiting from this work.  
> Thank you to my beta for their time and work on this story.
> 
> This piece was entered into the Quills and Parchment ‘Troll In The Dungeon’ Halloween OS Comp.  
>  **Winner of Best Costume. Runner-Up: Best Humor, Best Angst, and Best Shenanigans.**  
>  Thank you to the readers, writers, admins and judges for everything.

**D** **adfoot & Moomum**

* * *

 

"On a creepy, orange morning in the small village of Buxton, where _nothing_ magical lived ever, and where pumpkins stood on windowsills in tiny windows, a boy named Harry woke. Before the boy could say _anything_ , Remus Lupin — a handsome sandy-haired male — stood over Sirius Black — _God_ — and wished to _ravish_ him —"

"Sirius!" Remus hissed, trying to smile at the smiling Harry. "Harry is right there."

"Moony. He is four. He doesn't understand." Sirius patted Remus' arm condescendingly. "Don't you worry your little fur off, Lupin. Dadfoot has this under control."

Remus raised his brow, and of course Sirius had expected it. The man never truly trusted him, but after so many years of pranking and taking nothing seriously, he could hardly blame him.

Sirius cleared his throat as he cuddled Harry a little closer to him and pulled the covers up to his tiny chin. It had always been hard, but it was nothing like their first Halloween after they lost James and Lily.

He had spent most of _that_ Halloween evening curled up as Padfoot, listening to Remus rocking Harry as he distracted him with Muggle television. Harry cried that night, and Sirius was sure it was for his mum and dad. He knew that the sound was cutting through Remus, even if he pretended otherwise; his grief was swirling until it mixed with the fear of the full moon that was coming the following night — and Sirius couldn't find any part of him able to comfort his boyfriend. There was nothing in him. He had nothing to give.

Remus had applied every charm on the small house they had at their arsenal, hoping for some peace. They had loved this house from the moment they left their flat, turning part of themselves away from magic in the hope that no one would find them. They had found themselves part-time jobs when Sirius' fortune began to diminish. A smile breaking out when they found jobs in basic Muggle places that didn't ask for much, such as: qualifications or even where they went to school, but worked around the two of them equally so that Harry was always with someone. It wasn't the life they imagined, but a life they loved because of the tiny person within it.

The second year, or the second anniversary, the three of them curled up in their living room. Remus despised Muggle-repelling charms, but he had placed one up for this night and this night alone; neither of them wanting trick or treaters, family, old friends, and least of all, joy. A blanket of grief covered their entire home, so much so, Sirius was surprised the candles still flickered.

Remus fell asleep after Harry had gone down for the evening, his sobs vibrated through the walls and made Sirius' bones ache. He knew not to disturb him, knowing the man needed this because last year Remus had needed to be strong for both the upcoming moon, and for him.

Sirius had never believed in praying, not sure what good getting on your knees for anything other than _joyful activities_ could be — but he prayed. He hoped that one day it would feel a little less painful and that Halloween, or October 31st, would be a day where they mourned inside and smiled on the outside.

Even as he sunk into the warm sheets of his bed, finding soft, scarred skin moving over him, he knew it was wishful thinking. As he bit down on Remus' lower lip and gripped his bony hip, he knew the pain would never extinguish from his heart.

When he moved onto his knees before Remus, staring into eyes that glittered with tears, even in the darkness of their bedroom, Sirius wasn't sure why he got on his knees to pray.

The second evening of October 31st, like so many other occasions related to their death - such as birthdays - was always going to be hard, never seeming to get easier no matter how many hammered at their doors. Sirius, however, vowed that night they would try a little harder for Harry next year.

They had to.

A boy couldn't fear a day that he couldn't remember — his two guardians feared it enough for a village. He didn't know how he'd put a finger up to the day, to the holiday that brought others so much cheer. But he would.

On the third anniversary, the 31st of October 1984, Sirius Black rose from his warm slumber and kicked off legs of a man he adored, heading to Harry Potter's room. He swung open the door, eliciting giggles from the tiny toddler as he swished his old school robe he had gotten out of the wardrobe.

"You fancy a morning story?" Sirius asked with a wicked smile.

Remus stared at him, still waiting for an explanation even after Sirius had told him how they had gotten to this point. Even with the wild reenactments and swishing of his robe that Harry had laughed loudly at, Remus hasn't budged.

"Moony, he's four."

He folded his arms. "He remembers things, Sirius. He remembers everything, and, he also isn't very good at secret keeping."

Sirius feigned being shocked, his hand dramatically moving to his chin. "How dare thee! Harry James Sirius Remus Potter is the best, _best_ secret keeper ever! Nothing like his horrid rat Uncle."

"Sirius," Remus warned.

"He is!" Sirius proclaimed. "He didn't tell you about our exciting times today that we've been planning for _months."_

Remus licked his lips, a flash of knowledge in his eyes that made Sirius feel uneasy. "Harry, did you have ice-cream for breakfast today? _Again._ "

Harry shuffled in the sheets, his eyes looking from Remus to Sirius before grinning and pushing his glasses up. "No."

Remus cocked his eyebrow. "See, See Moony," Sirius interrupted.

"We had it yesterday!" Harry laughed, and Remus slowly smirked as he turned to meet Sirius's expression.

"Look, Moony. Okay? We have a whole, _whole_ day of fun planned and I have it all sorted, and you don't —"

"Run." Remus met his eyes, a gold fleck appearing in them. "Run, Padfoot. Run."

Sirius threw the book in his hands, the one he had a word barely out of, and sprinted out of the room. The fury in Remus' eyes was enough to tell him to. The anger in his voice last week when Harry had been sick because of the very delicious dessert that Harry had enjoyed yesterday — and was therefore ill when Remus had got home from work at the coffee shop down the road. The cold, chocolate flavoured, melt-in-your-mouth goodness that Sirius had promised not to feed Harry; he had fed the boy, and he had been about to that morning too.

* * *

Remus stared at the large orange vegetable in front of him. The pocket where his wand usually was felt empty, and he missed the idea his magic wasn't at his fingertips. Something was very disgusting about a pumpkin, not in the way it tasted or the actual concept of carving it — but the _mushy_ insides that were about to coat his kitchen.

It wasn't that Harry was a volatile child — even including the mass decoration of mash potato of 1982 — it was that Sirius was a mess and didn't think things through. He could picture it now, Sirius would get frustrated with the carving, obliterate it with his wand and Remus' clean, untouched kitchen would see another food disaster.

Remus was also not one for such a frustrating task so close to the next full moon — his temper rising and falling, becoming more uncontrollable as the moon leered over him.

"Ya ready?" Sirius asked Harry, the boy looking up at him in a transfigured apron with a grin. "You ready Moony?"

"No. Not really."

"Brilliant!" Sirius clapped, completely ignoring him. "Off we go!"

He took a deep breath and was halfway into his first cut of the pumpkin when he heard a faint ' _uh-oh'._ Dread washed over him. His heart began to palpitate in his chest. A bead of sweat started to crown his forehead as Remus slowly lifted up and saw Harry, covered in his exploded pumpkin, with a sniggering Sirius.

Remus knew he should have felt something other than the only emotion he currently felt, because it wasn't normal, was it? He shouldn't be feeling… _joy._

"Oh, _Merlin's_ beard…" Remus muttered as he felt Sirius' hand on his. "Did… Did he? Sirius…"

Sirius turned to him, flecks of pumpkin skin stuck in his beard as he grinned from ear to ear. "His first accidental magic… on the…" tears began to build in the grey eyes, and Remus turned his palm, so it met Sirius'. "God, he is truly Prongs son. He's had his first bout of magic on the anniversary of the day magic tainted his life."

"Only Prongs and Lily's son."

Sirius smiled, trying to bury the tears that were set to blow. "Only a Potter."

* * *

It had taken the pair of them forty-five minutes to get all of the pumpkin mush out of Harry's hair. Sirius had never known anything quite like the mass of hair on the child's head. It was thick. Large quantities were covering the entirety of the child's head. He actually wondered if he was more hair than a boy, but when he had exclaimed this, Remus had only laughed.

Once the bath, of all baths, had been completed, Sirius began to dress Harry and watched as Remus slowly edged from the room, quietly closing their bedroom door. All the laughter was hard, for both of them, but a week away from a new moon always played havoc on Remus' emotions.

While Remus was often dry-humoured, patient and calm for three weeks of the month, the week running up to a Moon was the opposite. He was volatile, anxious, emotional, and worst of all: tetchy. Sirius found he walked on eggshells, and he was never known as someone who was delicate with other people's feelings — and so they'd fight. It never lasted long, but it was enough to make Remus cower in on himself, washed with guilt; enough for Sirius to feel bad, and then helpless.

The one saving grace was that Remus never struggled with Harry. His demeanour around the little boy never changed, so when Sirius watched him slip from the room, he knew it was bad. His heart dropping in his chest, and his throat drying as he heard the faint click of their door locking.

Harry, always one to sense things, pressed his hand on Sirius' beard causing him to turn to meet the green eyes. "Dadfoot… is Moomum 'kay?"

He half-smiled before standing and scooping the boy in his arms, twirling on the spot as his laughter painted the room in colours and happiness.

"Of _course_ he is!" Sirius whooped, "He's just gone for a nap. Bath time _always_ makes him sleepy."

For a brief moment, he saw a smile he hadn't seen in years. The grin moving up the child's face made him look so much like James that Sirius' heart ached. Memories and laughter swirled around his mind as he gripped the child tighter, holding him close and hoping his love washed through him and healed the darkened spots.

"Dadfoot…" Harry muttered, "Can we cook cookies?"

Sirius wiped his finger over Harry's chin. "We can bake cookies, cooking them is blegh."

"Blegh?"

"Yes," he laughed, carrying the boy out as they continued making the disgusted noise, laughing in between.

* * *

He had never cleaned the kitchen by hand. Sirius would usually mutter a few spells, and stand back, hands on hips to marvel at how little effort he had truly put in. When Remus had come down to see the kitchen upside down with two batches of burnt chocolate cookies, and one okay-ish batch, his eye had twitched. _Actually_ twitched.

Before Sirius could protest that this was all Little Harry's fault, Remus had summoned Sirius' wand, and gave him that look — _the one_ that screamed: "Tidy this, or _you_ get _nothing_ for a week".

Sirius groaned and moaned, and after an hour of scraping a piece of dried mixture from the cupboard door, he wailed on the floor in defeat.

"I surrender! Please. Please! Magic it away."

Remus, all cocky and full of might, smirked. Sirius couldn't _fucking_ believe it! If Harry hadn't been sat at the table, colouring in a ghost Remus had drawn on parchment, Sirius would have wiped it from his face. He would have charged at him and made him scream Holy Halloween from the top of his voice, because if there was any weakness of Sirius Black, it was Remus Lupin full of confidence and smirking.

"Wipe your face," Sirius growled, his eyes flashing the darkened look that only half-expressed the thoughts in his mind, "before I wipe it for you."

He watched anxiously as Remus licked his lips. "These "Wolf Cookies" are good?" Bringing one to his lips and biting a chunk from it. "Why are they named _Wolf Cookies?"_

Sirius winked. "For Halloween, silly."

"Hmm." Remus continued the cookie, slowly licking his fingers as he raised his wand, cleaning the kitchen in a second.

Watching him cockily eat the cookie that had finally broken the kitchen, Sirius smirked. "Speaking of _Halloween_ , I have a gift for your 'Day Of Fun.'"

* * *

Remus leant against the doorframe, his eyes scanning the back of his boyfriend as he wrapped around the bright, silk red cape.

"You like?" Sirius asked, wiggling his brows. His face was paler than Remus had ever seen, including the time when he had eaten a Flobberworm after Marlene enacted revenge on him stealing her bra.

"If I said _not especially_ are you going to whine and bark all evening up until we have to leave because it's tedious for all, Padfoot, tedious _for_ _all_."

Sirius hissed under his breath, turning his attention back to his outfit. The crease over his brow told a story that Sirius didn't yet wish to tell, but Remus already had an idea, already suspicious if the man was _really_ okay. The day was hard, for all three of them, although Harry hadn't quite grasped what the day meant except that his teeth would rot.

"And what, Mr Vampire-Black, am I wearing this evening?"

A chill fell through the air, and the hair on the back of Remus' neck stood up on edge. This sensation, this feeling only happened when Sirius had done something stupid or incredibly ridiculous.

"Sirius," Remus warned.

Swishing his wrist, Sirius summoned a comb from the other side of the room, using it to comb his hair back as he smirked. "Remember how you said, 'I trust you with my life Pads'?"

"I am beginning to regret ever muttering that sentence."

Sirius chuckled, "Well, Mr Wolf, you are -"

"- I swear to Godric's men and all he stood with that if you are making me dress up like a fucking werewolf I will murder you, and then I will bring you back to life and then I will show you a werewolf!" He rolled his lips as Remus noticed the furry outfit hung up. "Oh, fucking ball bags."

"You said 'blend in'," Sirius said.

Remus moved over to the outfit, his fingers running through the faux fur before touching the outfit that didn't come close to what a werewolf actually looked like. "Run Pads. Use those fucking paws and run, because I will catch you, and I will kill you."

Sirius smirked as Remus turned to face him, not quite believing him until he saw the flash of silver in his eyes - the flash of the moon that was deep within. "Oh, fuck!"

"Fuck, indeed," Remus spat, moving closer to him as Sirius backed out of the room.

"Harry! Harry? Come to Moomum and give him a hug for Dadfoot."

* * *

Remus Lupin snorted. It was loud, grotesque and bloody annoying, mixed with pitched laughter, and a lot of "Oh Gosh's", but the main point was that he snorted.

Sirius, dressed as 'The Hottest Dracula Anyone Had Ever Seen' had been tricked. Truly, tricked. Covered head to toe in green slime, eggs and something that gave off a funny odour, Remus was thankful that he could bury his face in his wolf costume. Having hidden their wands at home, Remus couldn't even rid Sirius of the scent or discomfort, and their evening of Trick-or-Treating with Harry was cut short.

As Remus heard the groans of Sirius attempting to clean the products out of his ' _Snape-esque_ ' hair, he continued to get Harry ready for bed. The poor boy was rubbing his eyes, sleep prepared to take him after a fun, but exhausting, day. Taking another face wipe to his face, hoping to remove the bright-orange face paint from Harry’s costume, Remus realised he thoroughly missed magic at times like these. His sadness was brief as Remus smiled as the bright eyes inherited from Lily Evans stared up at him — and Remus wondered if today had been enough to leave the boy one good memory of this holiday.

The night they took Harry from Hagrid had been a night full of horrors, curled up together in the old flat that Sirius had purchased out of Hogwarts. It wasn't suitable for a family — it wasn't ideal for the anger that the two of them felt at the betrayal of their friend. Most of all, it was the first place anyone would come for them.

Remus had never been someone who wanted to run, but that night he knew he never wanted to stop. He heard Dumbledore from the disguised bushes in the front garden of Potter Cottage. He listened intently, as he soothed Harry, that the poor boy had to go to the Muggles house — the sister that had resented Lily for who she was. He also heard that it was Sirius who had done this — had caused _all of this._  

It was then that Remus realised he hated Dumbledore, and he never hated anyone. The man who was so quick to blame, when he had no factual evidence to back it up.

Call it fate, luck of the evening, or even having Harry, but it took less than an hour to find Sirius. Thankfully, knowing the uncontrollable rage that he had needed to deal with, Sirius hadn't done anything — although Remus would never forget hearing how much the man had wanted to.

"You're so loved, Harry," Remus whispered as he lifted the boy into bed. "By Mummy, and Daddy; Dadfoot and Moomum…" he bit back an annoyed growl at his own name, hating Sirius a little for inflicting it on him. "No matter what. Okay?"

Harry rubbed his eyes as Remus removed his glasses, placing them on the bedside table near his nightlight. "Love you. You smile now?"

"I'm always smiling with you around, son," Remus whispered, allowing the word to drop from his lips naturally.

"You not smile earlier."

Remus took a breath. A single intake that flurried him with memories of full moons, devising the map, stealing things from Filch and pranks on Slytherins. Then, just as expected a wave of different memories, his first kiss with Sirius, watching Lily finally go on a date with James, their wedding and then Harry. It swirled him around in joy, but crashed him down in sorrow; it wrapped him in comfort but left him feeling alone.

His hand rubbed his chest, hoping to force his body to release its hold and allow him to breathe. Remus forced the tears that wished to spill, even after he had sobbed this afternoon, and as he returned to the room, to the green eyes that beckoned him to answer, he heard the faint cries of Sirius in the shower.

"One day, Dadfoot and I will tell you a story, and it won't be like your books, and it won't be one that always makes you smile, but we promise our best to make you laugh a little on the way." Remus paused, watching Harry smile. "You have to be a bigger boy though. Big and strong, and right now, my little one, you need to be little and energetic."

Harry knelt up, shoving the covers Remus had wrapped around him down. He wrapped his little arms around Remus' neck and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

"Today was the best!" The boy whispered, and Remus held him a little tighter. "But… Dad is crying, and Harry thinks he needs you." Remus held Harry out, looking at his face before the tiny hand pressed against his cheek. "Go, Daddy."

Remus rose to his feet still holding Harry, slowly lowering him back to the bed and turning the little light on to keep him safe. He tucked him in, mind swirling with the word 'Daddy' coming from the boy's lips. He left the room, muttering 'goodnight's and 'love you's just as he always did. Then Remus was at the bathroom door, hearing the choked sobs of a broken Sirius.

He didn't want to hesitate, but he did. Remus felt cowardly for all of a minute before he pushed open the door, and saw eyes of silver that were broken and wrapped in turmoil, right in front of him.

Remus didn't think. Instead, he felt, and he didn't wait, he just charged, running towards who was Sirius slumped at the bottom of the bath, shower head spraying water on him. Remus engulfed him in a hug they both needed and one that said words neither could speak.

Their hands moved to the others back and hair; they gripped tighter, almost squishing the air out of themselves so they'd become one soul, with shared pair. Remus felt himself want to fall apart, but a ribbon written in Dad and Daddy kept him doing so.

"He called you 'Dad'," Remus said, half-shocked still, even though he had taken a chance to process. "Harry. That is. He called _you…_ 'Dad'."

Sirius, still struggling with sobs, sniffed up choked snot. "W-what?"

Remus moved from his shoulder, brushing back Sirius' wet hair so he could see his handsome face. See the cheekbones that were model worthy, and brushing it behind his ears.

"Harry called you 'Dad'. You."

"But… _Prongs_ —"

"Would be _proud."_ Remus insisted. "He called you 'Dad', Sirius. We… we are his Dads. His guardians. All that we've given up has paid off. The magic we limit ourselves to, the Muggle jobs, the Muggle schools we are looking at… He's happy. As well as a boy can be."

Sirius's eyes widened, and Remus could understand it, this was a lot. It was something they never expected, never wished for — but both had clearly needed. On this hard day, they had been given a gift, and it filled them, in ways nothing else could have. It healed parts that they had accepted were broken; they felt light, and unsure but happy.

"You think he's still… when we…"

Remus kept his palm against Sirius' cheek, just as he had always done. The touch sparking memories to fill them, back when Sirius' parents disowned him, when he had ended up in the hospital wing after a prank gone wrong, and the night they lost their friends. It hit him then why Harry had done it, and it made him smile. A message from up above, one telling him it was all okay.

"No," Remus said truthfully. "But we'll make it okay. We'll tell him everything, and instead of crying, we'll spend the day as a family, and we can mourn into cookies decorated like wolves, and we can carve pumpkins and —"

"Dress up as things that go _bump in the night?"_ Sirius winked.

Remus laughed. "Always so vulgar. But sure. I think that Silencing Charms are already on our list of pre-approved magic." Sirius scoffed, still bitter about the rules Remus had enforced when they had moved here — to an entirely Muggle neighbourhood so Harry could be as normal as he could be, before entering the world that would glorify him. "I love you."

Sirius moved into his hand. "I love you more. Help me up, will you? Best say night to m'son."

He helped him up, using a touch of wandless magic to summon a towel. Sirius picked up a brush, pausing before it touched his hair.

"Son, huh?"

Remus smiled, leaning against the wet tiles, not caring for the cold feeling it left over him. "We have a son."

* * *

_A Few Years Later…_

Remus smiled as he watched Harry spoon his cereal into his mouth, dropping milk down his chin. He could predict it; the event happened so often.

"Dad's?" Harry said, and Sirius dropped the Daily Prophet onto the table. "Am I big and strong?"

Sirius chuckled, "The biggest and strongest."

"Well," Remus interrupted, "You're nine and just because you smashed your Grandmother's antique doesn't truly make you strong."

"I only ask," Harry said, "Because you said you'd tell me a story. And… I think the story is about my Mum and Dad, not that you aren't my Dads but –"

Remus reaches over, pressing his hand over Harry's. "We know that I promise."

Harry dropped his spoon into the bowl, moving it to the side and looked at them both in turn. "I wondered if you'd tell me… from the beginning, I'd like to know. I think… I think I want to know it all."

Remus turned his head, looking deeply into Sirius' eyes. They both knew he could take on more than others though; they both knew how strong the boy really was — and with Halloween so close, and his letter soon for Hogwarts only years away, they wanted to say something.

Sirius cleared his throat, and Remus nodded gesturing him to begin. "Alright, Harry. Here's the story of how your Dad, James ' _Ridiculous Haired'_ Potter met your mother…"

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> Find Me On Tumblr: [josiemoone](https://josiemoone.tumblr.com)


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